Gary Paulsen Bibliography
Gary Paulsen was born on May 17, 1939. He was born in Minnesota but had a very unhappy childhood. Most of the time he lived with his grandparents while his father was Stationed in World War 2, and his mother worked in the factory for very long hours. Then he moved to the Philippines in 1946-1949 while his father was getting stationed in different areas overseas. He eventually had to move with other relatives because of the alcohol abuse of both his mother and father. Although his family and friends were there to comfort him most of the time he found security with the library and books. During this time he was doing very bad in school and barely had the credits in order to graduate. During his job of selling newspapers he stopped in the local library to look around and he was helped with a variety of different books to read. After this day he would read books nonstop usually a book a day. When he was older he attended Bemidji College, now Bemidji State University, in Minnesota. In order to pay for his tuition he had to become a trapper and in the army. After college he decided he wanted to become a magazine editor on a magazine for men in Hollywood, California. He published his first book, Special War, in 1996. His career was very productive and wrote up to 40 books and many articles and short stories. All of a sudden his career took a abrupt stop when he had a law suit against him in 1977 over his latest book Winterkill. He won the lawsuit but at a very high cost. During this time he picked up the hobby of dog sledding which in the end would be the outcome of many other books. He then attended college once again at the University of Colorado in 1972. In 1990 he suffered from a minor heart attack which made him slow down when it comes to physical activity. He and his wife live La Luz, New Mexico and still have there home in Minnesota.